Average Realtor Commission in Arizona After the NAR Settlement

By Matt McMahon, licensed Illinois real estate broker and founder of Net Gain Realty in Chicago. Data as of August 9, 2026. Sources at the bottom of the page.

A February 2026 survey of agents puts the average realtor commission in Arizona at 5.82 percent of the sale price: 2.90 percent to the listing agent and 2.92 percent to the buyer's agent. The NAR settlement did not eliminate either side. It uncoupled them, so they are negotiated separately now, and only one of them is decided before the home ever lists.

What the settlement actually changed

The NAR settlement terms took effect in August 2024, and two rules matter for an Arizona seller:

The word for what happened is uncoupled, not eliminated. Traditionally the two commissions traveled together as one quoted number. Now they are two separate negotiations with two separate answers.

What is happening in practice

In practice, most Arizona sellers still contribute to buyer-agent compensation. The February 2026 surveyed buyer-side average of 2.92 percent is the evidence: the money did not go to zero, it moved from a posted number to an offer-by-offer negotiation. A seller can decline to contribute, and some do, but the contribution can affect which offers arrive and how they are written, so most sellers negotiate it rather than refuse it outright. Anyone who tells you sellers no longer pay the buyer's agent is describing the rule change, not the market.

The side a seller controls

The buyer side is negotiated later, offer by offer, against the market. The listing side is signed before the home lists, which makes it the one commission a seller fully controls. In Arizona the surveyed listing-side average is 2.90 percent, about $14,000 on the $485,000 Phoenix median. The flat alternative is a fixed dollar amount stated in the listing agreement, and the Phoenix what-you-keep page compares any such quote against the percentage.

Two pages on this site take that decision apart on real Phoenix numbers: what it costs to sell a house in Phoenix, every line itemized and sourced, and how much money you keep, which measures the listing fee against your equity instead of your sale price. That measurement, the fee-to-equity ratio, is where the quoted percentage stops looking small.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average realtor commission in Arizona in 2026?

A February 2026 survey of agents put the average total commission in Arizona at 5.82 percent of the sale price: 2.90 percent to the listing agent and 2.92 percent to the buyer’s agent. On a $485,000 Phoenix median sale, that total is about $28,200. The two sides are separate negotiations now, and only the listing side is set before the home lists.

What did the NAR settlement actually change?

Two things took effect in August 2024: listing brokers can no longer post an offer of buyer-agent compensation in the MLS, and buyers must sign a written representation agreement stating their agent’s fee before touring homes. The settlement uncoupled the two commissions. It did not eliminate, cap, or set either one.

Do Arizona sellers still pay the buyer’s agent after the NAR settlement?

Often yes. Buyer-agent compensation is now negotiated offer by offer instead of posted in advance, and many sellers still agree to contribute because it can affect which offers arrive. The February 2026 survey average of 2.92 percent on the buyer side reflects that. No rule requires it, and no rule ended it.

Is the real estate commission negotiable in Arizona?

Yes, both sides, and it always has been. No law sets a commission rate in Arizona. The listing side is agreed in the listing contract before the home lists, which is why it is the side a seller actually controls. Listing fees in Phoenix run from a fixed flat dollar amount, stated in writing by the brokerage before the home lists, up to a 2.90 percent surveyed average, which is about $14,000 on the median.

What does the listing side cost in Phoenix specifically?

Two structures exist. A percentage listing, surveyed at 2.90 percent on average in Arizona in February 2026, about $14,000 on the $485,000 median. Or a flat listing fee, a fixed dollar amount the brokerage states before the listing agreement is signed. Fee to Equity publishes a brokerage’s fees only with its written permission, so ask any brokerage for its fee in writing and compare it on the Phoenix what-you-keep calculator.

Sources

1. Arizona commission averages: Clever, Average Realtor Commission Fees in Arizona, February 2026 survey (5.82% total; 2.90% listing side; 2.92% buyer side; 533 agents surveyed nationally).
2. Phoenix median single-family sold price, July 2026: Phoenix AZ July 2026 housing market update ($485,000).